The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-08-27

LOST IN IuG
TIL. coun,rv around Mr.. Trumbos VAS
very wild, in those days. In 1880 "hen
the family moved there. n man named Town
lived on the - Billy Moore place GEORGE
y Walker had cabin in what is no" SCUM
ottawa The nearest neighhor. Mckerns
family, lived two miles away IN "c'' Una"
WAS the regulation distance OF tue hrS' se''
ler. Mr. McKern was drowned by an &C
eident, and Mrs. Mex. came to Trnmoo 10
get Margaret 10 keep company win ner'
She returned with the grief-s'r'cSen woman
and remained several days. One morning.
in company with half grown boy In d SLED
propelled by one horse she started 10 'e'u'"
homo Tn weather was thawey and very
foypy, mud il increased in the lnt!er pa''ieu-
lar 90 that they could scarcely see rod
ahead. After travelling awhile over gopher
hills. through hazel lhicket-' Sround s'oue"S'
ov.r ridges and across hollows, for there
were no roads then. they broke down anu
having fixed their sled went on and on anu
got completely lost. Disguised with her es'
cor, MARGARET climbed out Of the riche,y
vehicle and started on foot, as he seemeu
likely Lot to get anywhere in particular III
the direction he was going She concluueu
it wises to go an opposite course. she went
on and on, and nov aud then she heard nun
afar off in the fog arguing with his morse
about the proper way home this was sig
nal for her to brace up and strike out IN
come new direction At length, the boy re.
siyned himself TO his fate. He had been
humping over the prairie and in The timber
pretty much all day, and hadn't got any
where, aud never expected TO get there or
any Other place. In this state OF mlnu he
lie, his nag 60 Ms it pleased, and the result
was she took him home in "a Jity.' lie
told Mrs Mex the sad story of his wander
ipcs and worse than all Of Miss Margarets
being wanderer in the wilderness, ere
then, perhaps prey to bears, lynIes' "i'u
hogs. Indians, snakes, wolves and misceila'
neous other yarmints,' to say nothing OF
hunger. cold and despair Mrs. Mckerns
was thrown into an agony Of fearful appre
hen.ion Of all sorts Of evils happening to
her Young friend, and, s. ringing into the
sled, quickly made her way to Mr.. Trumbos,
where she gave them her doleiul news. Here
again was more agony. Mr.. Trumbo mounted
horse, and, taking dinner horn IN MS
hand, galoped over the praries, sounding
his instrument with might and main AT every
jump of his steed, making curious, waving
suffering, disconnected series OF tootings,
such as might be expec'ed from dinner
horn gone crazy. Meantime, poor Margaret
had walked many weary mile over that, to
her, boundless prairie. Her feet were soak.
ing with water, her clothing dripping with
fog, her limbs trembling with exhaustion,
and the pangs Of hunger tormenting her.
She was not tormented with any fear OF be-
ing permanently lost, yet she was very tired
and very hungry and shivering with cold
Presently she heard the strange blasts OF her
fathers wild horn, and starting towards the
sound in the direction where she first heard
it, rightly conjecturing that 1t was hrst
sounded at the cabin door, she soon arrived
with a thankful heart that her hard day
tramp WAS over. Ii was well she followed
her first impulse as to the way home from
the initial shrek Of that horn, for had che
turned her steps towards the place whence
every sound came, she would have Travelled
miles in every direction of the compass, and
would have at length followed it to South
Ottawa, and got lost as her father did once
in returning home.
WHAT sHE SAW OF THE WAR.
When the Indian war broke out, in 1882,
Trumbo's family went to Pembroke's, in
South Ottawa, for safety. There they met
several other families who were seeking pro-
lection from the savages. Scouts sent north
not only returned filed with all the wild
rumors of cruelty and outrage perpetraied
by the red fends in human shape, but In
dams. besmeared with war paint and glitter.
ing with implements Of death, had been seen
lurking about the woods everywhere, and, to
cap the climax, came the report Of the In
dian Creek massacre. Seized with panic
well grounded, which we at this late date
can hardly appreciate, the settlers filled sew
enteen wagons with their household effects,
piled their wives and babies in among boxes
and bedding, and started them for Spring
field, an even hundred miles due south OF
Ottawa. Let us record here singular fact,
often met with by US, in cleaning points for
q history OF Marshall and Putnam counties.
which we prepared and was published some
years ago, and since confirmed by old settlers
here of equal and the same undoubted We
racty as those ofthe counties named that
all domestic animal had natural antipathy
y, Indians Asa angle instance out OF many